Sleeper positioning machine



' June 24,1969 W.J.YARD 3,451,349

SLEEPER POSITIONING MACHINE Filed June 2, 1967 sheet of 4 f/ gig" l June24, 1969 Filed June 2, 1967" FIE Z W. J. YARD SLEEPER POSITIONINGMACHINE Sheet of`4 June 24, 1969 A w1. YARD 3,451,349

SLEEPER POSIUONING MACHINE Filed Junfz, 1967 sheet 3 of 4 Jude 24, 1969W, J YARD 3,451,349

SLEEPER POS ITIONING MACHINE UnitedStates Patent O 3,451,349 SLEEPERPOSITIONING MACHINE William J. Yard, Cavan, South Australia, Australia,assignor to Australian Railway Equipment Supply Cornpany ProprietaryLimited, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and Trak-ChiefManufacturing Proprietary Ltd., Cavan, South Australia, Australia FiledJune 2, 1967, Ser. No. 643,216

Int. Cl. E01b 27/17 U.S. Cl. 104-9 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Asleeper positioning machine having rail clamps to clamp a pair of railsand sleeper grips movable forwardly to engage a sleeper, hydraulic ramsoperatively connected between the rail clamps and sleeper grips to movea sleeper beneath lthe rails when clamped.

This invention relates to a machine which is suitable for positioning asleeper (or tie) beneath a railroad track.

When sleepers become displaced beneath the rails of the track, or whenthe spacing between the sleepers is to be reduced, for example to allowthe track to support heavier locomotives, it becomes necessary to movethe sleepers beneath the rails. Heretofore this has been done mainly byhand, and although machines have been proposed which will achieve thishydraulically, these machines have been very cumbersome and inefficient,and in some cases they have been discarded in preference to the handoperation. The main object of this invention therefore is to provide amachine which will be eicient and quick in moving sleepers beneathrails, and which will not require the attention of more than one or twooperators.

In its simplest form the invention may be said to consist of a mainframe, rail engaging wheels supporting the main frame, a rail clamp oneach side of the main frame, the rail clamps being adapted to firmlyclamp a pair of rails when the rail engaging wheels are supportedthereby, a pair of sleeper grips one on each side of the main frame,each sleeper grip being movable downwardly to engage a sleeper orupwardly to a retracted position, and hydraulic rams operativelyconnected between respective rail clamps and sleeper grips adapted tomove a sleeper beneath the rails when clamped.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder in some detailwith reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a machine,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the sleeper moving means,

FIG. 3 is a central longitudinal section through the machine, somewhatsimplified,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a rail clamp, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sleeper grip. A

According to this embodiment a main machine frame has on it bearingswhich support transverse shafts 11, 'the transverse shafts carrying railengaging wheels 12. Disposed centraly on the main machine frame is anupstanding ram 13 which may be designated main frame lifting ram, andthe piston rod 14 of this ram 13 terminates in a thrust and radialbearing 15 on a pivot supporting frame 16. A seat 17 is disposed on topof the ram 13, and the engine 18 for driving hydraulic pump means isdisposed to the rear of the seat 17, and the control valves 19 close tothe front of the seat. The arrangement is such that upon operation ofthe elevating ram beneath the seat the pivot supporting frame 16 movesdown wardly and lifts the main machine frame 10 from the rails 24 of arailroad track, this then enabling the main machine frame to be swungaround so that the machine can be handled on to or away from a railroadtrack in a direction transverse thereof.

On each side of the main machine frame 10 a pair of parallel liftinglinks 25 are pivoted, each link in this embodiment being the shape of athe other ends of the links on each side engage pivotally between a pairof parallel channels which are secured together to constitute a clampframe 26.

The front end of the clamp frame 26 carries on it a rail clamp 27, andthis consists of a pair of spaced parallel plates, the upper plate 28extending outwardly further than the lower plate 29, the upper plate 28carrying on its outer end a xed jaw 30 with serrated teeth, while thelower plate has disposed between it and the upper plate a pivoted arm 31also carrying a jaw with serrated teeth. A clamp cylinder 32 is trunnionmounted between the upper and lower plates, and operates the pivoted armin a manner which enables the clamps to firmly grip the sides of a rail24.

The frame channels carry between them a sleeper grip 37, and thisincludes a pair of spaced vertical slides 38 in a frame 39 supported byrollers which engage the webs of the channels of the clamp frame 26. Theguides have a sleeper grip block 40 vertically movable between them, andthe lower surface of the sleeper grip block has a pair of dependingngers 41 spaced from each other so that the grip block 40 when urgeddownwardly will engage over a sleeper 42. The movable frame 39 whichguides the sleeper grip block 40` has an upstanding sleeper grip liftcylinder 45, and this is connected through its piston rod to the sleepergrip block and arranged to raise and lower the sleeper grip blockrelative to the movable frame, and thereby relative to the clamp frame.The movable frame 39 is direct-coupled to the piston rod of a sleepershift cylinder 46 which is disposed horizontally between the channels ofthe clamp frame 26 in each case.

The manner in which the machine is used is as follows:

The machine is carried over the -iirst of a pair of rails constituting arailroad track and is lowered down on to the pivot supporting framewhich is in its extending lowered position, The machine is thenswivelled around until the rail engaging wheels are disposed above therail, and the main frame lifting ram 13 beneath the seat is operated tolift the pivot support frame thereby lowering the main machine frame onto the rails to be supported by the rail engaging wheels. The machine isthen driven to the desired position, and stop pins 48 which retain theclamp frames 26 upwardly off `the rail are removed, and each clamp frame26 is lowered over a respective rail by clamp frame lift cylinders 49.The two rail clamps 27 are then engaged on the side walls of the rails,and each sleeper shift cylinder 46 is operated independently until thesleeper grip block 40 is disposed above a sleeper 42 to be moved. Thesleeper grip lift cylinder is then lowered to engage the dependingfingers 41 of the sleeper grip block 40 fore and aft of a sleeper, andthe sleeper shift cylinder is operated to drive the sleeper to the newlyrequired position. The sleeper grip cylinder is then lifted away fromthe sleeper, the rail clamps released, and the machine is drivenforwardly by the spacing of one sleeper. The operation is then repeated,moving the next sleeper to its new position, which can be marked on therails, for example.

In order to avoid the danger of slippage, the line clamp cylinder isloaded with extra pressure through a one way hydraulic valve connectedto the stroke ram, so that in the event of high pressure building up dueto resistance of movement of the sleeper, this high pressure is alsotransmitted to the line clamp.

I Claim:

1. A sleeper positioning machine having a main frame, rail engagingwheels supporting the main frame, a rail clamp frame on each side of themain frame, a pair of lifting links pivotally joining the rail clampframe to the main frame, the rail clamp frames each carrying a railclamp, each rail clamp having a jaw fixed to the rail clamp frame, a jawpivoted to the rail clamp frame, and a clamp cylinder operativelycoupled to the pivoted jaw to firmly clamp a respective rail between thejaws when the rail engaging wheels are supported thereby, a pair ofsleeper grips each on a respective clamp frame, each sleeper grip beingmovable downwardly to engage a sleeper or upwardly to a retractedposition, and hydraulic rams operatively connected between respectiverail clamps and sleeper grips adapted to move a sleeper beneath therails when clamped.

2. A sleeper positioning machine having a main frame, a lifting ram onthe main frame having a pivot support thereon adapted to engage or beretracted from the ground, rail engaging wheels supporting the mainframe, a rail clamp frame on each side of the main frame, a pair oflifting links pivotally joining vthe rail clamp frame to the main frame,the rail clamp frames each carrying a rail clamp, each rail clamp havinga jaw fixed to the rail clamp frame, a jaw pivoted to the rail clampframe, and a clamp cylinder operatively coupled to the pivoted jaw tormly clamp a respective rail between the jaws when the rail engagingwheels are supported thereby, a pair of sleeper grips each on arespective `clamp frame, each sleeper grip being movable downwardly toengage a sleeper or upwardly to a retracted position, and hydraulic ramsoperatively connected between respective rail clamps and sleeper gripsadapted to move a sleeper beneath the rails when clamped.

3. A sleeper positioning machine having a main frame, rail engagingwheels carried by and arranged to support the main frame and spaced toengage the rails of a railroad track, a pairof clamp frames disposed oneon each side of the main frame and connected to the main frame withlifting links disposed at each end, a clamp frame lifting means on eachclamp frame adapted to raise or lower the clamp frame, the clamp framebeing guided by rotation of the lifting links, a rail engaging clamp onone end of each of the clamp frames, each rail clamp having a jaw xed tothe rail clamp frame, a jaw pivoted to the rail clamp frame, and a clampcylinder operatively coupled to the pivoted jaw, a sleeper gripindependently movable along each clamp frame, each sleeper grip having agrip lift cylinder and a sleeper grip block operatively connectedthereto and arranged to be raised and lowered thereby, each grip blockhaving a pair of depending lingers arranged to be positioned on eachside of a sleeper, and a sleeper shift cylinder between each clamp frameand its respective sleeper grip arranged to move the sleeper grip in thedirection of travel of the machine.

4. A sleeper positioning machine having a main frame, bearings in themain frame rotationally supporting axles, rail engaging wheels on theaxles spaced to engage the rails of a railroad track, a central mainframe lifting ram disposed vertically on the main frame and having apivot support frame on its depending piston rod adapted to engage theground or to be retracted from the ground, the pivot support framehaving bearings operatively disposed between it and the piston rodwhereby the main frame can be swivelled relative to the pivot supportframe, a pair of clamp frames disposed one on each side of the mainframe and connected to the main frame with parallel lifting linksdisposed at each end, a clamp frame lifting cylinder between the mainframe and each clamp frame adapted to raise or lower the clamp frame,the clamp frame being guided by rotation of the lifting links, a railengaging clamp on one end of each of the clamp frames, each rail clamphaving a jaw tixed to the rail clamp frame, a jaw pivoted to the railclamp frame, and a clamp cylinder operatively coupled to the pivotedjaw, a sleeper grip independently movable along each clamp frame, eachsleeper grip having a grip lift cylinder and a sleeper grip blockoperatively connected thereto and arranged to be raised and loweredthereby, each grip block having a pair of depending lingers arranged tobe positioned on each side of a sleeper, and a sleeper shift cylinderbetween each clamp frame and its respective sleeper grip arranged tomove the sleeper grip in the direction of travel of the machine.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,908,228 10/ 1959 Kershaw 104--92,950,687 8/1960 McWilliams 104--9 2,991,725 7/1961 Knippel et al. 104-93,260,218 7/1966- Pyke i 104-9 OTHER REFERENCES Railway MaintenanceCorporation, tie spacer, received Oct. 7, 1957.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner.

